OTH

Try asking in the Electric Bicycles section. You're more likely to get an answer there, I think.

This is the thing. The Storcks are beautifully made, have good components and handle well, but the key feature is that the riding experience is just like on a normal bike - but easier. I'm not an e-bike expert, but I tried a variety (Trek, Freego, Raleigh, Oxygen, etc): none of them matched the Storck for giving the feeling that you could just get on and ride without being aware of some quirk that set them apart from normal cycling.

The Storck rides nearest to a "real bike" of any of the electric bikes I've tried. It's the only one I've got on and just ridden without being distracted by the assist bit. It handles very well (steep hills with bends near me, too), is beautifully made and has good quality components. And there's a local dealer in Taunton. The Cytronex looks nice, too. But you can only get them in Winchester, I believe. As you already cycle on a normal bike and plan to regularly cover significant distances, I'm pretty sure you'll appreciate the benefits of a "deluxe expensive" electric bike.

The Storck Multitask is very comfortable. The ballon tyres provide more than sufficient "suspension" for road/cycle track use, and the riding position is relaxed by normal bike standards.

There's something odd here I think. The Storck is way ahead of the Haibike in the poll where money is no object. But the position is reversed here. This doesn't make sense as they both cost a very similar amount. Or am I missing something?

What is the price of a Haibike EQ EXDURO?

Storck Raddar Multitask? Top quality components. Beautifully made. Excellent handling. Smooth, strong assistance available without any lag on starting. Good looks. (And, if you want a change from electric assist, swap the rear wheel and you've got a first class conventional bike.)

Any chance of an update, Jimmythe1?

Thanks, Scottyf. I've found it quite difficult to achieve a full discharge because of the lack of assistance towards the end of the process. Have settled for 70-80% discharged and hope this will do.

Pease forgive a couple of basic questions. I have a lithium polymer battery. 1. Does this need "conditioning"? If so, how many times should it be fully discharged? 2. With the battery showing approx 50% discharged the motor still gives significant assistance, but markedly less than when fully charged. Also, there is no appreciable difference between selecting high and low assistance at this level of discharge. By the time approx 70% discharge is showing there is hardly any assistance at all. Is this reduction in performance normal as a battery discharges? Many thanks.

Beautiful. If only I didn't have to ride an electric bike ......

This opening sentence from his column in the Times on 27 December 2007 may give you a clue as to his views on cyclists. "A festive custom we could do worse than foster would be stringing piano wire across country lanes to decapitate cyclists."

I think the survey shows 2% cycle in the UK compared with 31% in the Netherlands (Ref: graph D7). This is a little more credible.

Overlander, Is yours unusual for a UK bike? Trek quote 200 Watt motors in their catalogue. Perhaps I just don't understand the motor names.

I have considered just the same combination - Pompetamine plus Cytronex would be very nice. If you can wait, Cytronex aim to have a kit out in the next few months. Otherwise, The Electric Wheel Company might be of interest.

I'm with eddieo and flecc on this. Suspension forks = more weight + poorer handling + less efficient + servicing costs. If you're cycling on the road, why bother with them? It's a mystery to me why so many bikes come with suspension forks - and generally not of the best quality, emphasising their disadvantages. I'd much prefer a rigid fork option, with better brakes/gears/wheels. Perhaps a manufacturer or dealer could comment on this? Slightly larger tyres should be sufficient on the road.

bert11, And after two years you'll have had more maintenance costs, bought more cycle clothes and ....you'll need a new battery. (By the way, d8veh, you are being a little too kind to fools, I think. )

Mike63, Please don't be swayed too much by my comments. They were based on one test ride. And I'd obviously not been well briefed on how to get the best out of the bike.

Thanks. That confirms my opinion - it just didn't seem practicable to toggle through the regen levels back to power at the bottom of a hill. No doubt experience would make it more useable.

Overlander, I agree, choice of frame size, Trek warranty/dealer network and normal bike looks/components make this attractive. But, how do you find the controls? When I tested one of these, I found the concealed switches and toggling through the power levels awkward. I imagine it's even worse with gloves. Or do you just get used to it?

I am considering fitting an 8Fun motor to my tandem. I would be interested in knowing what's invoved in fitting the movement sensor before going ahead. Is it easy? Another concern is the length of cables: I assume it would be simple to extend as necessary.

Many thanks to Ian Hughes, Andrew Warr, Markus Storck and their colleagues for a most enjoyable time. I was made to feel very welcome and had plenty of opportunity to ride the Storck Raddar bikes. And the Cosworth sandwiches are as good as their engines. I can't comment with the benefit of long term experience of electric bikes, but have tested Wisper, Raleigh, Oxygen, Trek and Cytronex. ..... I hope to buy a Storck. Coming from a normal cycling background, the Storck bikes were simply the easiest to ride, had the most useable assistance, had good quality components, didn't have things that you don't need (e.g. poor quality suspension forks), and looked very good. Just what I want. As iI say, I don't have a lot of experience to draw on, but the assistance seemed powerful, was available from standstill and was creamily smooth. Handling was excellent. It must have been, because I didn't think about it until afterwards - I just rode the bikes as normal (i.e. enthusiastcally) and enjoyed them. And it's the little things that make such a difference. For example, the bikes have a simple rocker switch (I think that's the right description) to turn the power on. Just what you need with gloved hands - not some fiddly touch sensitive switch that you can't find in the dark. I could go on, but it's time for work again.

Thanks for the replies. Reading your explanation, Flecc, I think I may have overplayed the higher gear = more effort from me = more assistance from the motor. Also, I may not have been too skilful in the use of the hub gears, remaining in a high gear when I changed down because I didn't ease off the pressure. I should probably give the crank drive another try before choosing.

This promotion of the Panasonic system for hilly country seems to be universally accepted wisdom. I recently tested bikes fitted with this and a with ahub motor, both on the same hilly route. I need to limit the amount of effort put in. It seemd to me that I was more likely to keep within my limit on the hub powered machine. I think this is because the crank system puts in assistance in proportion to the pedalling effort, whereas the hub motor gives assistance up to a selcted limit regardless of the effort put in, as long as you are pedalling. Am I correct in concluding that a hub motor is more appropriate for me, even on hills, or do I just need to persvere with a crank system to appreciate its benefits on hills?

Sorry, perhaps my question was unclear. The idea was to have a throttle and controller on each bike. I would then just have to swap the battery and wheel when I occasionally wanted to use the tandem. Another way might be to use a cheaper, separate complete system (Alien?) for the tandem.